Getting back in the game
Little League leaders are eager to get kids back on field
PAWTUCKET – When Sean Robinson’s cell phone began to jingle and ping just before 1:30 on Thursday afternoon, he didn’t have to guess who was trying to contact him – or why.
It was about that time when Gov. Gina Raimondo gave the youth sporting world just the news it’s been waiting for since at least least March: In essence, “Little League baseball and softball teams, you can go back to practice!”
Of course, that doesn’t mean that after a two-week “spring training” session the kids can go back to competing against other teams, but it does mean they can get together with their own squads and throw, field, hit and joke around like they’ve done for so many summers before.
The start date: Monday, anytime.
“I started receiving a bunch of text messages at about that time, and they were from other Little League coaches and presidents,” Robinson laughed of the text barrage. “They came from Rumford, Pineview, Seekonk, etc. Brian La Salle at Seekonk, he just wanted to congratulate us, but also to say, ‘If you’re starting up (in Rhode Island), we can’t be far behind!’
“It’s exciting; we’re back in business,” he added. “It’s a step in the right direction, a positive direction. I have two boys in Darlington American – Myles is 13 and plays in
juniors, while Sheamus is 12 and is in Majors – and they were ecstatic. I can see why – they’re now going to be able to see all of their friends on a regular basis, and they’ll all play ball.
“I know the coaches are excited, too, but it’s still a wait-and-see approach for all of us. We have to wait for word when Phase 3 will begin, which hopefully means we’ll receive the OK to play against other teams.”
There nevertheless are rules in place, and all must be adhered to; that’s why Robinson was conducting Zoom board meeting with all coaches on Friday night.
“We’ll not only discuss the guidelines, but also what the possibilities are of having a modified season,” he noted. “Now that we’ve been given the OK to have individual teams practice on their own, we have to do what the city tells us regarding practices, what fields we can use, when they’re ready to go, but everybody’s anxious about getting out there.”
When contacted Thursday night, Lincoln Little League President John Sharkey, perhaps the longest acting LL chief in the state, simply said, “Yes, I heard, and we’ll be ready to go on Monday; we’ll have practices for all our ball teams, from T-Ball on up. The kids have a ton of energy and can’t wait to get out there. I don’t think they care much about what they have to do (in terms of strict guidelines), but they will have to abide by the sixfeet social-distancing rule.”
Other safety measures include sanitizing equipment such as bats, balls, catcher’s equipment (when it changes hands) and gloves often, using hand sanitizer frequently, and all coaches must wear masks at all times. For players they are apparently optional. In the Lincoln version, only two or three players will be allowed in the dugout due to their smallish size, but they will be allowed to stand six feet apart outside the dugout down either base line.
All of that was discussed with league mentors at Zoom meetings held with Sharkey on Thursday evening.
Robinson indicated the DALL will allow spectators to watch from beyond the outfield fence, but only if they remain six feet apart and wear masks. The home-plate ump, by the way, will position himself not behind the dish but behind the pitcher.
“This is so worth the wait; I used to see coaches all the time on the street, and they’d look at me and say, ‘When are we going to start up?’ and I’d just shrug,” Sharkey said. “We’ve been waiting a long time for this; I’m sure there are a lot of parents out there who didn’t think we’d ever be in this position.
“Just a week or two ago, the governor was saying ‘no youth sports all summer,’ so I’m pleasantly surprised,” he continued. “To be honest with you, when she said that, I thought, ‘We’re done,’ but – to be honest with you – when she said there would be summer camps, then I knew our door was open.
“There still be no Little League World Series or regionals, and we canceled states, too, but the district tournaments are still up in the air for later this summer or even the fall.”